HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Bell 47 is a single-rotor single-engine light
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
manufactured by
Bell Helicopter Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, as well as commercial helicopters in M ...
. It was based on the third Bell 30 prototype, which was the company's first helicopter designed by
Arthur M. Young Arthur Middleton Young (November 3, 1905 – May 30, 1995) was an American inventor, helicopter pioneer, cosmologist, philosopher, astrologer, and author. Young was the designer of Bell Helicopter's first helicopter, the Model 30, and inventor ...
. The 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946."Bell Helicopters"
Helicopter History Site.
"Biography of ARTHUR MIDDLETON YOUNG"
The first civilian delivery was made on 31 December 1946 to
Helicopter Air Transport Helicopter Air Transport Incorporated (HAT) was formed in New Jersey, United States, to exploit the helicopters which were developed during World War II. It was the world's first commercial helicopter operator. Origins The company was formed i ...
. More than 5,600 Bell 47s were produced, including those under
license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
by
Agusta Agusta was an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It was based in Samarate, Northern Italy. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first airplane in 1907. The MV Agusta motorcycle manufacturer began as an offshoot o ...
in Italy,
Kawasaki Heavy Industries (or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headq ...
in Japan, and
Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil, Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Limited just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915. Du ...
in the United Kingdom. The Bell 47J Ranger is a modified version with a fully enclosed cabin and tail boom.


Design and development

Early models varied in appearance, with open
cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...
s or
sheet metal Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Sheet metal is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes. Thicknesses can vary significantly; ex ...
cabins, fabric covered or open structures, some with four-wheel landing gear. Later model D and Korean War H-13D and E types settled on a more utilitarian style. The most common model, the 47G introduced in 1953, can be recognized by the full "soap bubble" canopy, exposed welded-tube tail boom, saddle
fuel tank A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propel ...
s and skid landing gear. The later three-seat 47H had an enclosed cabin with full cowling and
monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...
tail boom. It was an attempt to market a "luxury" version of the basic 47G. Relatively few were produced.
Engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...
s were
Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
or Lycoming vertically mounted
piston engine A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...
s of 178 to 305 HP (150 to 230 kW). Seating varied from two (early 47s and the later G-5A) to four (the J and KH-4). In April 2011 there were 1068 registered with the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
in the United States and 15 in the United Kingdom. Bell 47s were produced in Japan by a Bell and Kawasaki venture; this led to the
Kawasaki KH-4 The Kawasaki KH-4 was a light utility helicopter produced in Japan in the 1960s as a development of the Bell 47 that Kawasaki had been building under licence since 1952. The most visible difference between the KH-4 and its forerunner was its new ...
variant, a four-seat version of the Model 47 with a cabin similar to the Bell 47J. It differed from the "J" in having a standard uncovered tail boom and fuel tanks like the G series. It was sold throughout Asia, and some were used in Australia. In February 2010, the Bell 47
type certificate A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...
s were transferred to ''Scott's Helicopter Services''. The sister company that was formed,
Scott's - Bell 47 Scotts or Scott's may refer to: Businesses and brands *Scott's (restaurant), in London *Scott's Food & Pharmacy, an American supermarket chain *Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, an American multinational corporation *Scott's Porage Oats, a Scottish bre ...
, is in the process of starting production of a
turboshaft A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaftpower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the exhaust ...
powered version of the Bell 47, the 47GT-6, using a
Rolls-Royce RR300 The Rolls-Royce RR300 is a turbine aircraft engine (turboshaft/turboprop) developed for the light helicopter/general aviation market. Rated at up to 300 shp (224 kW) at take-off power, the RR300 is a rebadged and downrated variant of the ...
engine and with composite rotor blades, with deliveries planned from 2016.


Operational history

The Bell 47 entered US military service in late 1946, and operated in a variety of versions and under different designations for three decades. It was designated
H-13 Sioux H13, H-13 or H.13 may refer to: Roads * H-13 (Michigan county highway), a road in the United States * Highway H13 (Ukraine) Vehicles * Bell H-13 Sioux, an American helicopter * , a H-class submarine ordered by but not commissioned into the Royal N ...
by the
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, and during the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, it served a variety of roles, including reconnaissance and scouting, search and rescue, and medevac. The "Telecopter" was a
Bell Model 47 The Bell 47 is a single-rotor single-engine light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was based on the third Bell 30 prototype, which was the company's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young. The 47 became the first he ...
rented by
television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth ...
KTLA KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is the seco ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. It was outfitted with a television camera and it made the worlds first flight by a
television news News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or televis ...
helicopter on July 3, 1958, with its inventor, John D. Silva, aboard. When the television station reported it was receiving no video, Silva exited the helicopters
cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...
to climb onto its landing skid while it hovered at 1,500 feet (457 m) so he could investigate the
microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ran ...
transmitter bolted to its side, where he discovered a
vacuum tube A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric voltage, potential difference has been applied. The type kn ...
had failed due to vibration and hot weather. After Silva fixed the problem overnight, the Telecopter made the world's first successful television news flight on July 4, 1958. The
National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding th ...
(NASA) had a number of Bell 47s during the Apollo program, used by astronauts as trainers for the
lunar lander A lunar lander or Moon lander is a spacecraft designed to land on the surface of the Moon. As of 2021, the Apollo Lunar Module is the only lunar lander to have ever been used in human spaceflight, completing six lunar landings from 1969 to 19 ...
.
Apollo 17 Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or traveled beyond low Earth orbit. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on ...
commander
Eugene Cernan Eugene Andrew Cernan (; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. During the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan became the eleventh human being to ...
had a nearly disastrous crash into the Indian River in Florida in 1971, before his flight to the moon. The 47 has also served as the helicopter of choice for basic helicopter flight instruction in many countries.


Records

*13 May 1949, a Bell 47 set an altitude record of .McGowen, p. 56. *21 September 1950, first helicopter to fly over the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
. *17 September 1952, Bell pilot Elton J. Smith set a world distance record for piston helicopters of by flying nonstop from
Hurst, Texas Hurst is a city in the U.S. state of Texas located in the densely populated portion of northeastern Tarrant County and is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. It is considered a Dallas and Fort Worth suburb and is part of the Mid-Ci ...
, to
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
. As of 2018, this record still stands.


Variants

: ''Section source:'' Complete Encyclopedia


Civilian

;47: Pre-production version, powered by a Franklin piston engine. ;47A: Improved version of the Bell 47, powered by a Franklin O-335-1 piston engine. ;47B: Equivalent to the military YR-13/HTL-1, powered by the Franklin O-335-1. :;47B-3: Agricultural/utility version with open crew positions. Also, offered in a version to the US Postal Service as the Bell Airmailer . ;47C ;47D: First to appear with a molded "soap bubble" canopy. :;47D-1: Introduced in 1949, it had an open tubework tail boom reminiscent of the Bell Model 30 and three seats. ;47E: Powered by a Franklin 6V4-200-C32 engine. ;47F ;47G: Combines a Franklin engine with the three-seat configuration of the 47D-1 and introduced the twin saddle-bag fuel tank configuration. :;47G-2: Powered by the Lycoming VO-435 engine. Produced under license by
Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil, Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Limited just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915. Du ...
as the
Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...
for the UK military. :;47G-2A: Powered by a VO-435. :;47G-2A-1: Wider cabin, improved rotor blades and increased fuel capacity. :;47G-3: Powered by a supercharged Franklin 6VS-335-A. :;47G-3B: Powered by a turbocharged Lycoming TVO-435. :;47G-4: Three-seat helicopter powered by an Avco Lycoming VO-540 engine. :;47G-5: A three-seat utility version. A two-seat agricultural version was later known as the Ag-5. The 47G-5 remained in production even after H & J production had ended. ;Bell 47H-1: A three-seat version with an enclosed cabin and fuselage. ; 47J Ranger: A four-seat version powered by a VO-435 engine. ; 47K:Military two-seat training variant of the 47J.


Military

: See
H-13 Sioux H13, H-13 or H.13 may refer to: Roads * H-13 (Michigan county highway), a road in the United States * Highway H13 (Ukraine) Vehicles * Bell H-13 Sioux, an American helicopter * , a H-class submarine ordered by but not commissioned into the Royal N ...


Licensed versions

Agusta A.115 The Agusta A.115 (registration ''I-AGUC'') was a prototype helicopter flown in 1961 in Italy. It was essentially a Bell 47J-3 with an unclad, tubular tail boom, and powered by a Turbomeca Astazou The Turbomeca Astazou is a highly successful ...
1971 Italian prototype of a Bell 47J with an unclad, tubular tail boom, and powered by a
Turbomeca Safran Helicopter Engines, previously known as Turbomeca, is a French manufacturer of low- and medium-power gas turbine turboshaft engines for helicopters. The company also produces gas turbine engines for aircraft and missiles, as well as turbin ...
Astazou II turboshaft engine
Meridionali/Agusta EMA 124 __NOTOC__ The Meridionali/Agusta EMA 124 was a light utility helicopter flown in prototype form in Italy in 1970.Taylor 1989, 648 The design was undertaken by Agusta for production in a joint venture with Elicotteri Meridionali, based on the Be ...
Italian prototype with redesigned forward fuselage. Not produced.
Kawasaki KH-4 The Kawasaki KH-4 was a light utility helicopter produced in Japan in the 1960s as a development of the Bell 47 that Kawasaki had been building under licence since 1952. The most visible difference between the KH-4 and its forerunner was its new ...
Japanese production version with redesigned, lengthened cabin, and redesigned control system


Conversions

Carson Super C-4 El Tomcat Mk.II Bell 47G-2 modified extensively for agricultural spraying by Continental Copters Inc. First flew in April 1959, followed by further improved versions.


Operators


Military operators

:For all military operators, regardless of the actual model, see '' Bell H-13 Sioux operators''


Government operators

; * Ontario Lands and Forests ; *
Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...
*
Guardia di Finanza The ''Guardia di Finanza'' (G. di F. or GdF) () (English: literal: ''Guard of Finance'', paraphrased: ''Financial Police'' or ''Financial Guard'') is an Italian law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance. ...
*
Vigili del Fuoco The Vigili del Fuoco is Italy's institutional agency for fire and rescue service. It is part of the Ministry of Interior's ''Dipartimento dei Vigili del Fuoco, del Soccorso Pubblico e della Difesa Civile'' (Department of Firefighters, Public Re ...
; *
Los Angeles City Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and technical rescue services to the city of Los Angeles ...
*
Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
*
New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...


Aircraft on display

;Canada * CF-ODM – Bell 47D-1 on static display at the
Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre (CBHC), located on the north bank of the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to preserving the history of bush flying and forest protection in Canada. It was founded in 1987 by a ...
in
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is at the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay. The Ojibwe, the indigenous Anishinaabe inhabitants of ...
. * Unknown ID – Bell 47G on static display at the
Alberta Aviation Museum The Alberta Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The museum is located on-site at the former Edmonton City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport on the southwest corner of the field (11410 Kingsway Avenue). T ...
in
Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
, Alberta. It was assembled from parts and represents a Bell 47D. * CF-NHH – Bell 47G on static display at
The Hangar Flight Museum The Hangar Flight Museum, formerly known as the Aero Space Museum of Calgary is a museum located south of Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. History The museum was founded in 1975 as the Aero Space Museum Association of Ca ...
in
Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...
. It was built by college students from parts and has never flown. * CF-GWD – Bell 47D-1 on display at the
Canadian Museum of History The Canadian Museum of History (french: Musée canadien de l’histoire) is a national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the museum is to promote the heritage of C ...
, Gatineau, Quebec. * CF-FZX – Bell 47G-4 on display at the
British Columbia Aviation Museum The British Columbia Aviation Museum is located in Sidney, British Columbia, Canada. It is on the grounds of the Victoria International Airport Victoria International Airport serves Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is north northwest o ...
. * C-FIVE – Bell 47J-2 on display at the
Canadian Museum of Flight The Canadian Museum of Flight (formally the Canadian Museum of Flight Association since 1998) is an aviation museum at the Langley Regional Airport in Langley, British Columbia, Canada. The museum has over 25 civilian and military jets, pisto ...
, Langley, British Columbia. ;Chile * H-03 (Chilean Air Force) – Bell 47D-1 on static display at the
Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio The Museo Nacional Aeronáutica y del Espacio (MNAE) is an institution responsible for disseminating the aeronautical heritage in Chile. History It was created on July 13, 1944, as Museo de Aviación, during the government of Juan Antonio R ...
in
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
. ;France * 710 (French Air Force) – Bell 47G on static display at the Musée de l’air et de l’espace in Le Bourget, Île-de-France. ;Germany * AS+058 (German Army) – Agusta-Bell 47G-2 on static display at the
Deutsches Museum The Deutsches Museum (''German Museum'', officially (English: ''German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology'')) in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of science and technology, with about 28,000 exhibited objects from ...
in
Munich, Bavaria Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
. ;Japan * JA7008 – Kawasaki-Bell 47D-1 (one of first two aircraft of
All Nippon Airways , also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had mo ...
) on static display at ANA Safety Education Center, nearby
Haneda Airport , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary ...
. It was once displayed at until its closure in 2006. ;Malta * AS7201 – Bell 47G-2 on static display at the
Malta Aviation Museum Malta Aviation Museum is an aircraft museum situated on the site of the former Royal Air Force airfield in the village of Ta'Qali, on the island of Malta. The museum, based in three hangars, covers the history of aviation on the island with exhi ...
in
Ta'Qali Ta' Qali is a wide open space in the limits of Attard and Mosta in central and northern Malta respectively, which contains the national football stadium, the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre, Ta' Qali National Park, a crafts village, and a nation ...
. It was the first aircraft of the
Armed Forces of Malta The Armed Forces of Malta ( mt, Forzi Armati ta' Malta) is the name given to the combined armed services of Malta. The AFM is a brigade sized organisation consisting of a headquarters and three separate battalions, with minimal air and naval ...
and was donated to the museum on 31 May 2008. ;New Zealand * NZ3705 – Bell 47G-3B-1 on static display at the
Air Force Museum of New Zealand The Air Force Museum of New Zealand, formerly called The Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum, is located at Wigram, the RNZAF's first operational base, in Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand. It opened on 1 April 1987 as part of th ...
in Wigram, Canterbury. ;Norway * LN-ORW – Bell 47D-1 on static display at the
Norwegian Aviation Museum The Norwegian Aviation Museum ( no, Norsk luftfartsmuseum) was opened by King Harald V on May 15, 1994. It is the Norwegian national museum of aviation and also the largest aviation museum in the Nordic countries, covering around . Situated in Bod ...
in Bodø, Nordland. ;Spain * HE.7B-31 – AB-47G-3B1 on static display at the Museo Aeronáutico de Málaga in Málaga, Andalusia. ;Sweden * Unknown ID – Bell 47G on static display at the ABBA: The Museum in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
. It had previously been featured on the cover for
ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
's 1976 album ''
Arrival Arrival(s) or The Arrival(s) may refer to: Film * ''The Arrival'' (1991 film), an American science fiction horror film * ''The Arrival'' (1996 film), an American-Mexican science fiction horror film * ''Arrival'' (film), a 2016 American science ...
''. ;Switzerland * HB-XAE – Bell 47G-2 on static display at the
Swiss Museum of Transport The Swiss Museum of Transport or Verkehrshaus der Schweiz (literally "Transportation House of Switzerland") in Lucerne opened in July 1959 and exhibits all forms of transport including trains, automobiles, ships and aircraft as well as communicati ...
in
Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...
. ;United Kingdom * G-AZYB (painted in former SABENA markings as OO-SHW) – Bell 47H on static display at the Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. It supported a scientific expedition in Antarctica. ;United States * N5H – Bell 47B on static display at the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in
West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...
. * N3H – Bell 47 on static display at the
Niagara Aerospace Museum The Niagara Aerospace Museum is an aviation museum located in Niagara Falls, New York, in the old terminal building of the Niagara Falls International Airport. The museum has been located in a number of places in the Niagara Falls/Buffalo area ...
in
Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...
. * N116B – Bell 47B on static display at the
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, also called the Udvar-Hazy Center, is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM)'s annex at Washington Dulles International Airport in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia. It holds numerous ...
of the
National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...
in
Chantilly, Virginia Chantilly is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Fairfax County, Virginia. The population was 24,301 as of the 2020 census. Chantilly is named after an early-19th-century mansion and farm, which in turn took the name of an 18th-century p ...
. * N39KH – Bell 47D on static display at the
Hiller Aviation Museum The Hiller Aviation Museum is an aircraft history museum located at the San Carlos Airport in San Carlos, California. The museum was founded by Stanley Hiller in June 1998. and is endowed by members of the Hiller family. It specializes in North ...
in
San Carlos, California San Carlos (Spanish for "St. Charles") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population is 30,722 per the 2020 census. History Native Americans Prior to the Spanish arrival in 1769, the land of San Carlos was occupi ...
. * LV-AEE – Bell 47B-3 on static display at the
Classic Rotors Museum Classic Rotors is a flying aviation museum specializing in helicopters and other rotorcraft, located at the Ramona Airport in Ramona, California, United States. History The museum was founded in 1992 by Mark DiCiero, after he built and learned t ...
in
Ramona, California Ramona is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 20,292 at the 2010 census. The name ''Ramona'' also refers to an unincorporated community (with some plans to incorporate) that includes both the ...
. * LV-AEF – Bell 47B-3 on static display at the Niagara Aerospace Museum in Niagara Falls, New York. * 82 – Bell 47D1 on static display at the
Tellus Science Museum Tellus Science Museum is a natural history and science museum near Cartersville, Georgia with a facility of over 120,000 square feet. It is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian ...
in
Cartersville, Georgia Cartersville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, United States; it is located within the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,187. Cartersville is the county seat of Bartow Coun ...
. * N996B – Bell 47H-1 on static display at the Niagara Aerospace Museum in Niagara Falls, New York. * N8010E – Bell 47H on static display at the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania. * Unknown ID – On static display at the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It is a Bell 47D-1 that has converted to an H-13 and painted in "M*A*S*H"configuration. * Unknown ID – Bell 47D-1 on static display at the
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
in
New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
. * Unknown ID – Bell 47 on static display at the Lawrence D. Bell Aircraft Museum in
Mentone, Indiana Mentone is a town in Harrison and Franklin townships, Kosciusko County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Mentone is the self-proclaimed "Egg Basket of the Midwest" because of prolific commercial egg production in the area, and holds an Egg Festival an ...
.


Surviving aircraft

;Austria * OE-XDM – Bell 47 G-3B-1T (a former United States Army TH-13T) airworthy with The Flying Bulls in
Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...
. ;United States * N2490B – Bell 47G-2 airworthy at the
EAA AirVenture Museum The EAA Aviation Museum, formerly the EAA AirVenture Museum (or Air Adventure Museum), is a museum dedicated to the preservation and display of historic and experimental aircraft as well as antiques, classics, and warbirds. The museum is lo ...
in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh. History Oshkosh was ...
. * N7576 – Bell 47G-2A airworthy at the
Classic Rotors Museum Classic Rotors is a flying aviation museum specializing in helicopters and other rotorcraft, located at the Ramona Airport in Ramona, California, United States. History The museum was founded in 1992 by Mark DiCiero, after he built and learned t ...
in
Ramona, California Ramona is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 20,292 at the 2010 census. The name ''Ramona'' also refers to an unincorporated community (with some plans to incorporate) that includes both the ...
. * N6356X – Continental Copters Bell 47G airworthy at the Mid America Flight Museum in
Mount Pleasant, Texas Mount Pleasant is the county seat of and largest city in Titus County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, Mount Pleasant's population was 16,047; it is situated in Northeast Texas. History Mount Pleasant was founded May 11, 184 ...
.


Specifications (Bell 47G-3B)


Notable appearances in media


See also


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * * * * Mutza, Wayne. ''H-13 Sioux Mini in Action''. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1995. *McGowen, Stanley S. ''Helicopters: An Illustrated History of Their Impact''. Weapons and warfare series. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2005. * * * pp. 21–26. * * *United States, Headquarters Department of the Army, Army Concept Team in Vietnam. ''Final Report of Essential Load of Scout Helicopters''. Saigon, Vietnam: Army Concept Team in Vietnam, 1966.


External links


Model 47G
Museum site
Model 47G specs
from ''The International Directory of Civil Aircraft'' by Gerard Frawley

the current type certificate holder {{Authority control 1940s United States helicopters 1940s United States civil utility aircraft Bell aircraft, 47 Single-engined piston helicopters Aircraft first flown in 1945